Improve Your Real Estate Marketing﻿ with Video

In case you haven’t noticed, video is taking over the social media world. What once was considered a luxury, has now become an essential part of any real estate marketing strategy. Video marketing is essential because of the sheer number of people consuming video every day and the proliferation of social media channels that cater to video formats.

Your future homebuyers and sellers are watching videos right now. And if you don’t have video to share, you’re late for your audition.

YouTube has over a billion users, almost one-third of total internet users.

45% of people watch more than an hour of Facebook or YouTube videos a week.

More than 500 million hours of videos are watched on YouTube each day.

People are watching video. The statistics prove it. If you’re not marketing your real estate listings with video, your competitors using video are gaining ground and passing you by.

So what do you do if you can’t hire a professional videographer to turn you into the next viral sensation on YouTube? That’s the interesting thing about video in 2019 – it doesn’t have to be perfect.

In fact, many people respond to video that disrupts while it engages. Gone are the days of making every video look like a slick commercial. Video – especially live video – can be linear, without much editing. You can easily get started with the phone in your hand.

Does having the right tools help you get the job done quicker and more professionally? Of course, and there are several things I would recommend investing in like a DJ Osmo Mobile to give you a steady camera hand as you move around and a Rode VideoMic GO that can help better capture your commentary.

But tools are just that – tools. What matters is what you produce. We’ve all seen the walk-through videos produced for resale and new home listings. While they serve as a great substitute for walking a home in person, they’re not very engaging. And, many times, they don’t tell enough of the story.

Think of how you would show a home to a potential client. On what areas would you stop and linger to explain additional features or benefits? How about that backyard? If it’s truly a resort-style backyard, show it. If it’s the perfect place for children to play, demonstrate it. What would you tell someone about the neighborhood? Why not show them instead of tell them?

Now think of those walkthrough videos. Do they show these selling features? No!

This is how you build your following and your video’s “sticky” factor. Give the viewer a reason to continue watching. Give them a reason to share the video. And most of all – give them a reason to contact you.

Which Channels Do I Choose for My Videos?

We’ll make this simple for you – all of them! When shooting any video, it’s important to remember the form and function of video content on social media channels like Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Facebook news feed video can live forever on your video page. You can shoot your video live within Facebook or you can upload it. Either way, you’ll want to remember that 16:9 format works best for news-feed videos.

The same can be said for YouTube so, automatically, if you shoot a high-resolution video with quality audio, you can immediately upload the video to both Facebook and YouTube. Did you notice I mentioned high-resolution video and quality audio? Before you shoot anything with your phone, check your video settings so you’re shooting in 1080p.

And the best audio is audio that’s clear but doesn’t distract with background or environmental noise. That’s where that microphone comes in handy to isolate your voice and leave out unwanted noise that you never hear while shooting but can’t miss during playback.

You’re Just Getting Started

Once you start shooting and uploading video, you might think you’re on your way to YouTube stardom. Don’t book your trip to The Oscars just yet. You’re just getting started.

There’s a lot of ground to cover when creating an effective video marketing strategy. Facebook and YouTube are, without a doubt, two of the most popular video platforms out there but they’re not alone. Instagram Stories and IGTV are also effective video marketing tools, along with Facebook Stories. And all of these channels require 9:16 vertical video, not 16:9 horizontal video.

Shooting in a 9:16 aspect ratio format takes practice. Because of the vertical format, you have to be much more aware of your surroundings, making sure that you’re capturing what you’re talking about within the frame and still close enough for viewers to see. Creative angles and zooming can help you capture the essence of what you want to convey while Instagram and Snapchat also give you the ability to create engaging text, emojis, interactive polls, and more, for your stories.

Did you notice that last word? They’re called Instagram and Facebook Stories for a reason. The point of both (as well as SnapChat) is to create engaging content that takes the user on a journey with a narrative. Showing a home can provide the perfect canvas for that story. Does your new listing have a great backyard? Start your video there! Is the kitchen perfect for gourmets and foodies? Start your video from the kitchen with a cup of coffee in your hand. You’re creating scenes like a movie producer already!

Covering All of Your Bases

If you’re thinking all of this sounds like too much work, it’s important to remember a couple of things.

First, the beauty of social media is you can take your time and develop proven strategies on each channel independent of the other platforms. Do your videos get a lot of views on Facebook but not on YouTube? That’s okay. Celebrate your successes and work on the areas that need improvement.

Second, the more barriers to entry or hurdles that you encounter isn’t always a bad thing – especially in marketing. If you have to create a different video on Facebook, Instagram Stories and YouTube for that new listing, chances are your competition does, too. It’s not magic, just hard work. And the harder you work, the better your success rate.

Taking Your Videos to the Next Level

Once you get your feet wet with social video and begin building a following, you’re ready for the next step – optimizing your content for future success. How do you do that? That’s the subject of our next blog.